Advances in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery,Vol. 20, No. 4 (April 2007) [Note: The link is to the current issue’s table of contents. Once the May issue is released, check here to access the contents of the April issue. Also, abstracts are not available online for this journal.]

Tune in online to Heska’s annual shareholder meeting on 4 May 2007. Info about the Webcast is here. (The press release says to “click on the Annual Meeting of Stockholders link on the front page” of the Heska Web site, however when I checked today no such link yet existed; hopefully the PR and IT departments will coordinate a little more closely in the future.)

An editorial in the Times of Malta urges the Maltese to consider setting up their own college of veterinary medicine.

A U.S. military veterinary mission in Djibouti ends up rescuing a young man caught in a flash flood. “With a powerful current of water standing between them and the injured 19 year-old man, three military members, accompanied by a local Djiboutian, tethered themselves together with a rope and made their way into the river.”

A nice story on a Columbus, WI, veterinarian whose husband is reservist serving in Iraq.

A horse in Bakersfield, CA, that got trapped in an overturned, mangled horse trailer (in pouring rain) is rescued. The rescue is caught on camera. (Or you can read a transcript here.)

EquestrianMag.com reports on the end of the most recent outbreak of equine infectious anemia in Ireland.

CIO Asiareports on the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s development and implementation of a veterinary management information system. “With the value of the animals being cared for in excess of US$190 million, the stakes are high.” Indeed.

Donations from grateful clients to veterinary colleges (and their teaching hospitals) are climbing.

Go for the title (“Plastic Rats and Disposable Lungs”). Go for the lead image (tandem parachuters, one holding a large gray plastic dog). Go to learn about the new generation of pet mannequins being used to train veterinarians. Just go! This story from Wired has so much going for it!

A profile of Emily Hilscher, a veterinary assistant who was one of the people killed at Virginia Tech last week.

Tonight PBS will air the first of a two part Nature special titled “Dogs That Changed the World” (part two airs next Sunday; local PBS stations might air the programs at different times, so check your local listings). From the program Web page:

In [part 1] THE RISE OF THE DOG, you’ll learn about how the domestication of dogs might have taken place, including the theory of biologist Raymond Coppinger that it was the animals themselves-and human trash-that inspired the transformation. The genetic analysis of Peter Savolainen of the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden has placed the origins of domesticated dogs-and those of the first dog-in East Asia. You’ll also discover 14 dog breeds that controversial genetic studies show are the most ancient-and the best living representatives of the ancestors to all living dogs.

If you can’t wait until tonight, check out the video podcast PBS created to accompany the series.

The latest issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice (Vol. 48, Issue 4, April 2007) is now available online. Of note in this issue:

A comparison (188–192; abstract) of radiographic, ultrasonographic, and computed tomography evaluations of the middle ear finds that “A combination of radiography and ultrasound can provide a more accurate assessment of the bulla than either of them alone.” The authors caution, however, that because the results are dependent on the skill of the ultrasonographer, this might not be a useful diagnostic modality for all practitioners. In lieu of a combination approach, radiographs are the superior diagnostic tool.

A retrospective study (194–200; abstract) evaluates the use of circular external fixators in dogs.

A study (202–208; abstract) concludes that aldosterone is a dead end for the study of feline hypertension.

The latest American Journal of Veterinary Research arrived at catmanager’s office the other day. The issue (Vol. 63, No. 3) is available online here. Of note in the new issue:

A study (246–250; abstract here) of buprenorphine’s effects on horses finds (as with other opioids) a significant excitatory response to doses at 5 μg/kg and 10 μg/kg but an analgesic effect at only the higher dose.

A study (258–264; abstract here) of the long-term (90 days) oral use in dogs of five NSAIDs finds only minor changes “in hemostatic and serum biochemical variables” for each studied drug. The study did find variability in the frequency of adverse gastrointestinal effects, with carprofen causing the fewest, followed by meloxicam. The authors recommend periodic monitoring of dogs on long-term NSAID administration with CBC, serum chemistry, and endoscopy.

A controlled study (290–296; abstract here) finds autologous conditioned serum (ACS) beneficial in the treatment of horses with osteoarthritis. The authors caution that further studies, including clinical trials, are necessary to confirm the finding and determine ACS’s mechanisms of action.

Dolittler writes about the occupational hazards we in the veterinary profession can face, including a novel one: dogs that emit toxic gases. No, really. Check it out—and be sure to read the news report that prompted Dolittler’s post; the imprecision of the reporting is uninentionally amusing (or maybe it’s just me).